Don't Hang Up
by syriala
Summary: Written for this one sentence prompt on Tumblr: "Oh… sorryomgwrongnumber"
Tony was pacing impatiently in his workshop while he waited for Rhodey to pick up. When the call finally connected, he immediately began talking.

"Rhodey, Rhodes, honeybear, light of my life, I need you to come over right now. You're the only one who can distract Dummy long enough for me to get my work done and I _really_ need to get my work done, because apparently being only seventeen and working on three degrees simultaneously does not warrant an extension on this paper when I nicely ask for one. And before you say anything to that, yes, I did ask nicely, said please and thank you and everything and can you come over now? Dummy is being so annoying and I just can't concentrate and I need help." When Tony finished he took a huge breath and then flopped down on the couch.

"You seem stressed enough and I am really sorry about that, but I am not Rhodey," a voice said and Tony shot up from his comfortable position.

"Oh...sorryomgwrongnumber, I am so sorry!" he rushed out.

"It's fine, it can happen," the guy said and Tony face palmed. That's what he got for memorizing the number rather than just writing it down or something.

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you and especially for dumping all of that on you, please forget it and I am sorry."

"So you said," the guy chuckled and Tony found that he rather liked that sound.

"Who am I talking to anyway?" he asked.

"Bucky. Who're you?"

"Tony."

"Tony Stark, huh?" Bucky asked and Tony groaned.

"That obvious?"

"Well, you did make the paper with your early admittance to MIT and since I am studying here as well, it was hard to miss."

"Oh," was all Tony said to that because the moment people figured out who he really was things usually became strange.

"So, who's that Dummy you kept talking about? Your cat?" Bucky asked and Tony was a bit confused why he kept talking.

"Ehm, no. Dummy is my robot. I made him?" Tony answered and Bucky chuckled again.

"Is that supposed to be a question? Shouldn't you know if you made something?"

"I'm a bit hazy on the details," Tony admitted, but he wasn't about to admit that he had nearly been black out drunk while he had finished Dummy's code.

"So, I'm really sorry if I am overstepping any lines right now, and I completely understand if you don't want to, but you sounded really desperate there and since you got me on the phone instead of your friend, I could come over and try to distract your robot? I mean, not that I know anything about robots, but I can probably keep him entertained, I have a large family with many little kids, how different can it be?"

Tony hesitated, years of his father's words not to trust anyone in his head, but when Dummy crashed into yet another rack he decided fuck it. Either Bucky was up to no good and would murder him this evening or Dummy would continue to be a pain in the ass and his professor would murder him tomorrow.

Since the result was the same Tony said "Okay. You can try your luck. But my family is not paying any ransom and if you kill me...well, I guess then you killed me and can be proud of that, but otherwise you won't get anything out of it."

"Wow, your life must be fun," Bucky mumbled and then louder said "Not out to kill or kidnap you, I promise. I just want to help."

"Fine. Come over then."

"Where to?" Bucky asked him and Tony narrowed his eyes.

"You don't know in which dorm I live?"

"I haven't paid any attention to the news about you besides 'he's going here', so no, I don't know."

Either this was a very elaborate plot, to make Tony feel better, or Bucky really had been that uninterested in him. Tony tended to believe the last, because nothing in Bucky's behaviour indicated the first.

Tony told him where he lived right now and Bucky promised that he was on the way, but neither of them hung up.

"What do you intend to do to keep Dummy busy?" Tony asked out of curiosity and Bucky hummed.

"Well, I got a ball and a lot of younger siblings or relatives, so I know a game or two. I guess I could try that? But we'll see how your Dummy responds to them."

"I'm warning you now, the name is not a coincident."

"Thought so," Bucky laughed and then there was a knock at Tony's door. "So in case you're freaking out, the knocking was me."

"Good to know," Tony answered, because he had eyed the door warily. He walked over and still neither of them ended the call.

"If I open the door, will I be met with violence and weapons?" Tony asked and stopped with his hand on the doorknob.

"If you call a coffee, a bag and a prosthetic weapons, then I'm afraid yes."

That startled a laugh out of Tony and he decided 'Fuck it'. Maybe this would end badly, but the best case was that Bucky was as nice in person and he would be enough to keep Dummy from driving him insane.

With that thought Tony opened the door.


End file.
